]]>U.S. Rep. Mark Takai, it turns out, isn’t the only Asian-American politician from Hawaii who can suffer from a case of mistaken identity in the nation’s capital.

You may recall that C-SPAN identified California Congressman Ted Lieu as Hawaii’s freshman representative while Lieu was speaking in late March on the House floor.

The Washington Post on Wednesday showed it can hold its own in the misidentification sweepstakes with a large photo of two guests entering the state dinner honoring Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, one of whom was identified as U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono. Trouble was, it was actually Congresswoman Doris Matsui, another California lawmaker.

Congressional staffer Andy Stone pointed out the Hirono-Matsui gaffe on Twitter, and conservative website Twitchy.com gleefully picked up the post, helpfully posting large color pics of both lawmakers along with a well-placed jab: “Imagine the outcry if Fox News had done this.”

Update: It helps to have a sense of humor in such matters, as Hirono and Matsui showed Thursday in an epic follow-up tweet.

]]>Hawaii Needs an Effective Opposition Partyhttps://www.civilbeat.org/2015/01/hawaii-needs-an-effective-opposition-party/
Wed, 28 Jan 2015 10:04:20 +0000http://www.civilbeat.org/?p=1067764Hawaii Republicans might be forgiven in late 2014 for having wished the year a hurried farewell. Simply put, it was a tough 12 months. And 2015 thus far doesn’t seem like much of an improvement. Not only did the party fall enormously short of bold new voter registration goals announced in the wake of passage of […]

]]>Hawaii Republicans might be forgiven in late 2014 for having wished the year a hurried farewell. Simply put, it was a tough 12 months. And 2015 thus far doesn’t seem like much of an improvement.

Not only did the party fall enormously short of bold new voter registration goals announced in the wake of passage of the state’s Marriage Equality Act, the GOP absorbed an epic beatdown last fall in Hawaii’s general election. While the party was posting huge wins on the mainland, taking over the U.S. Senate and dramatically boosting its Congressional majority, it failed to win a single federal or statewide race in the Aloha State, despite mid-year predictions that Duke Aiona would be elected governor and Charles Djou returned to Congress.

Though Republicans had picked up a single seat in the state House, the gain didn’t last long, as House Minority Leader Aaron Ling Johanson announced in late December that he would join the Democrats. Representation in the state Legislature: eight seats out of 76 total.

Happy New Year!

Hawaii Republican State Party Chair Pat Saiki, left, and Miriam Hellreich at a GOP function in 2014.

Chad Blair/Civil Beat

State Party Chair Pat Saiki, who bitterly lashed out at Johanson for his defection, probably wasn’t made any happier by Aiona’s recent announcement that he had accepted the interim executive directorship of Hawaii Family Advocates, a group best known in recent years for its vitriolic and failed opposition to same-sex marriage. That served as a reminder that every non-incumbent challenger put forth by the Republicans to challenge pro-marriage equality incumbents or non-incumbent nominees last fall lost, most by sizable margins.

Former two-term Gov. Linda Lingle – once a bright spot for a party that sought to build a new profile and prominence in state politics – added to the already challenging new year by announcing a few days ago her departure from Hawaii to be the chief operating officer for Gov. Bruce Rauner in Illinois.

While it’s hard to see where the state GOP goes from here, it doesn’t take a genius to understand their dilemma with rank-and-file voters. Hawaii is a state that prides itself on ethnic, cultural and racial diversity. Antagonistic, bitter and often painfully awkward Republican legislation, policy and messaging around issues associated with people of color, ethnic minorities, women and gays and lesbians goes over here like the proverbial lead balloon. Kama’aina of all stripes might well wonder, “If that’s how they treat our favorite son, Barack Obama – the first African-American president, as well as a Punahou grad – what must they think of the rest of us?”

Mainland GOP voices are the most consistent offenders, but in a state where angry, wild-eyed Rep. Bob McDermott often emerges as the face of the Republican Party, they’re hardly alone.

No wonder, then, that the voter drive referenced above with an audacious goal of 25,000 new registrants by the fall elections, was estimated to have netted fewer than 1,000 new voters by November. Turns out voting with your feet doesn’t require registration.

Speaking of Mr. McDermott and his influence in the state GOP, voters aren’t the only ones with whom party leaders face a dilemma. There’s a sense of unease among elected and appointed Republicans. While Rep. Johanson didn’t mention McDermott by name in announcing his party switch, it wasn’t tough to discern the kind of folks he might be talking about when he said, “I think many in the local Republican Party are becoming more narrow in their demand for ideological purity as well as in their demand for a combative tone and posture.”

Saiki probably didn’t make matters any better in her bitter, personal public broadside against Johanson, accusing him of sacrificing his principles and calling his switch “disgraceful.”

“It is no secret that running as a Democrat in Hawaii makes life much easier for any politician,” Saiki sniffed.

Notably absent from Saiki’s remarks was any sense of critical self reflection, any nod to the idea that in the wake of a significant party leader’s defection there should be any reassessment of how the party is conducting its affairs. If anything, the subtext seemed to be, “If others don’t like us, screw it. We’re doubling down.”

And therein lies sad news for Hawaii. A dominant party in a two-party system performs better and is arguably more responsive to the needs and interests of voters when it is pressed and challenged by the opposition party. Within that governing dynamic, elected officials rise to the occasion, competing to craft policy and legislation that best serves the public interest. A dominant party with no such challenge on its flank runs the risk of becoming lazy and unresponsive – or worse yet, a thuggish bully.

State Democrats are no strangers to such criticism. Saiki decried the “Democratic machine” in her rant against Johanson – a familiar phrase for many in Hawaii and one seldom used kindly.

But it’s hardly up the Democrats to solve the GOP’s problems. If Hawaii Republicans are to build a future for their party in the Aloha State, 2015 might be the right time to recall the skill for which those who first populated these islands are particularly well known: Time to chart a new course.

]]>An Open Letter to Those Who Opposed Marriage Equality In Hawaiihttps://www.civilbeat.org/2014/11/an-open-letter-to-those-who-opposed-marriage-equality-in-hawaii/
Mon, 10 Nov 2014 10:02:19 +0000http://www.civilbeat.org/?p=1057993Dear Neighbors: Well, it’s been a year. Twelve months ago, after a long and bitterly contentious special legislative session, marriage equality became the law of the land in Hawaii. For those of us who benefitted from this historic legislation, it’s been transformative: Nearly 1,900 same-sex marriages were performed in Hawaii from Dec. 2 – June […]

Well, it’s been a year. Twelve months ago, after a long and bitterly contentious special legislative session, marriage equality became the law of the land in Hawaii. For those of us who benefitted from this historic legislation, it’s been transformative: Nearly 1,900 same-sex marriages were performed in Hawaii from Dec. 2 – June 20, and with between 126 and 221 marriages performed each of those months, it’s reasonable to expect that at least 500 have been added to that total since June.

That means at least 4,800 individuals have been allowed to have the most important relationship in their lives blessed and protected by our magnificent state. It means the children of those families are now able to enjoy the sense of security and permanence that can accrue when parents have solemnified their relationship. It means that these couples and families now are able to enjoy the same benefits, rights and responsibilities that opposite-sex married couples have had for generations, bringing us one step closer to the equality promised us in the U.S. Constitution.

A gay marriage supporter celebrates passage of same-sex marriage legislation at the Hawaii State Capitol.

PF Bentley/Civil Beat

My family is one of those. My husband and I were among the first in line for a marriage license last December. We celebrated 17 years together by marrying just before the year’s end in a simple ceremony at our home, our two sons at our side. Our youngest boy — only 9 at the time — was so moved, he wept for joy for his dads and for his family. And we have many friends whose marriage stories are every bit as rich and lovely.

Some of you protested the LGBT community’s pursuit of marriage equality last fall at the Capitol with angry shouting and unfortunate insults. I spoke to one of your pastors early this year, and was grateful to hear his heartfelt apology for the regrettable language aimed at LGBT individuals during the special session; it gave me hope for what might be possible in the future.

During the mid-term election cycle that concluded last Tuesday night, there were unfortunately more demeaning comments and threats that “the people will remember in November.” In at least seven legislative races as well as the governor and lieutenant governor races, candidates motivated to run by their anger over the special session sought revenge for a bill that didn’t go their way. No small number of times, we heard once again the chant repeated endlessly at the Capitol last fall: Let the people vote.

Well, they voted. And in nearly every instance, from Duke Aiona and Elwin Ahu to Senate and House races around the state, candidates who stood against marriage equality lost, typically by sizable margins. Those who stood for marriage equality won decisively, across the board, in nearly every competitive race. Voters around the state had a chance to recall the dire predictions and harsh pronouncements about what marriage equality would do to Hawaii and see that, at the end of the day, the scary claims really didn’t hold much water.

The hard part is behind us. The path ahead is one we can travel together peacefully.

Change can be hard. Sometimes it’s scary; often, you don’t know what to expect. But we’re past that part. We know now what to expect: Happy brides and grooms, husbands and wives, sons and daughters. A community that is being lifted up, recognized and respected. A social fabric for our state that is stronger, more inclusive and more vibrant than it was before.

And so, I ask you: May we all move on? May we summon our better angels to respect the settled law that is marriage equality in Hawaii, to love our neighbors as ourselves and to bring peace and kindness to our islands rather than discord and division? Even if we do not agree with our neighbor’s circumstances, may we still meet her/him with respect, with courtesy, with aloha?

I typically don’t presume to speak for Hawaii’s wonderfully diverse LGBT community, but on this, I’ll take a very small risk and say that as for us, we are all interested in moving on. We bear you no animus. We ask nothing of you, and are ready to greet you with a smile, as any good neighbors ought to be able to do. We extend to you our hands in a spirit of community, recognizing only that to receive them, you must first unclench hands that have been balled in fists or wrapped tightly around picket signs. Each of us and all of us deserves a break, and our state, the Aloha State, need not be torn asunder any more by endless arguments over what you believe and what we believe.

The hard part is behind us. The path ahead is one we can travel together peacefully. Let’s join one another on that journey.